METALLICA has stepped in to help a Los Angeles street performer after his drum kit was stolen.

Sheriff Drumman, who is famous for playing drums from the bed of his truck, had both his truck and drums stolen from in front of his Hawthorne apartment in December. Although he eventually he got his truck back, the drums were gone.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Sheriff spent nearly six years custom-building the four-wheeled drum set, hand-crafting the metal that made the setup possible, cutting, shaping and bending each slab before adding the details and the bright "#SheriffDrumman" sign above the vehicle.

After hearing about the theft, METALLICA gifted Drumman a new drum kit in Hollywood Tuesday night.

"Man, thank you guys so much," the artist born Anthony Eugene Sheriff said, according to NBC Los Angeles. "Thank you for taking the time and the resources to support and help what I do. I love you for that."

In response, METALLICA tweeted: "We're honored to be able to help out a fellow artist. Keep the music going, Sheriff Drumman!"

Back in 2016, Sheriff told LA Weekly that he was earning between $200 and $600 a day in tips.






We're honored to be able to help out a fellow artist. Keep the music going, Sheriff Drumman!https://t.co/EwlAhNnFKd

— Metallica (@Metallica) January 20, 2022

Arizona groove metal outfit, Incite, returns with new songs up their sleeves and have recently signed a contract with Atomic Fire Records. Following five relentless albums and an insane touring schedule under their belts, Richie Cavalera and his gang of misfits gear up for Wake Up Dead, set for release on March 25. This infectious collection of raucous new tracks and remastered gems from their fifteen-plus year career proves once again that Incite are indeed the missing link between Machine Head and Lamb Of God.


On their five albums The Slaughter (2009), All Out War (2012), Up In Hell (2014), Oppression (2016), and Built To Destroy (2019), Incite cemented their reputation as one of America’s leading groove armadas, heavily hitting home with their blend of old-school thrash majesty, frantic aggression, melody, skill, and bravado. What began as a band of greenhorns driving around the States in a shitty van, thrashing small clubs, has evolved into a band with the potential, the passion, and the power to become one of metal’s biggest acts.


Written in several bouts of feverish inspiration during last year’s pandemic chaos, Wake Up Dead delivers the goods in the most relentless way. With recording duties again handled by legendary producer Steve Evetts (who Richie Cavalera notes is, “the only guy who can simultaneously record The Cure and Suicide Silence and pull it off”) in Omen Room Studios just outside Los Angeles, here’s a band that couldn’t be more comfortable with the place they’re in right now. Kicking off the proceedings with the open fire that is “Fuck With Me (Wake Up Dead),” the record’s menacing second track, “War Soup,” will make a lasting impression on international heavy metal troops standing as the first Incite song ever to feature the vocals of both Richie and his step-father Max Cavalera, a historical gathering of heavy metal generations.




Comments Richie Cavalera, "Metalheads, we've held back this beast long enough! It's time! We've reworked the team, we've added more heavy metal, and couldn't be more fired up! Our new album Wake Up Dead will drop with MinusHead/Atomic Fire Records for the first time ever! This album is exactly what the metal worlds needs to kick off 2022 heavy AF!"


Atomic Fire Records CEO and founder Markus Wosgien adds, "When Dez Fafara, singer of DevilDriver and manager of acts like Cradle Of Filth, Jinjer, and 8 Kalacas, introduced us the new material of Incite, we were simply blown away. Those five new tracks simply were the shit! Each track was super catchy, straightforward, and massively brutal and aggressive. I couldn’t believe that I missed this incredible band over all these years and had a new mission: The metal world needs to know about Incite and how great they are. So, the idea starts to grow to not only do an EP, but also add the best of their old tracks, remaster them, and demonstrate what Incite is about. This new release is one of the best modern thrash metal releases of all time. This is both fresh, unique, and still somehow old-school as fuck. Fronted by Richie Cavalera, this band has an amazing singer with a serious history and well known parents. Check them out; you all will love them."





Wake Up Dead tracklisting:


"Fuck With Me (Wake Up Dead)"
"War Soup" [feat. Max Cavalera]
"Sucker Punched"
"Deadbeat"
"Mental Destruction"
"Built To Destroy"
"Stagnant"
"Fallen"
"The Aftermath"
"The Slaughter"


Stand by for album pre-orders and track previews to be launched in the coming weeks.


Lineup:


Richie Cavalera - vocals
Eli Santana - guitars
Christopher "EL" Elsten - bass
Lennon Lopez - drums


(Photo - Oleg Bogdan)

TOOL performed the song "Culling Voices" for the first time ever during the band's concert this past Saturday, January 15 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Fan-filmed video of the performance, which started off with all the members seated at the front of the stage and drummer Danny Carey playing guitar alongside Adam Jones, can be seen below.

"Culling Voices" is taken from TOOL's latest album, "Fear Inoculum", which arrived in August of 2019, following years of anticipation. The LP debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200, shattering sales and radio records while also earning widespread critical praise.

TOOL kicked off its 2022 tour in support of "Fear Inoculum" on January 10 at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. It marked the band's first live appearance since March 2020 when TOOL's trek was cut short following a gig in Portland, Oregon due to the burgeoning pandemic.

A year ago, TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan revealed that he battled COVID-19 twice in the span of just a few months. He told "Strombo" on Apple Music Hits that he suffered a second COVID-19 infection around "mid-November [2020] and ended up in the ER on December 1."

Keenan previously discussed his first bout with coronavirus in October 2020, telling AZ Central that he suffered symptoms of the disease in February 2020 and was still recovering eight months later. "I'm still dealing with the residual effects," he said at the time, "But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn't pretty. So I definitely had to deal with that."

Two weeks ago, it was reported that TOOL was one of several artists utilizing specially trained sniffer dogs to detect COVID-19 at their shows. The dogs are able to sniff for traces of the virus on anyone involved backstage, including members of the band’s crew and entourage.

TOOL was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in January 2020 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. TOOL was nominated for "7empest", a track from "Fear Inoculum".

TOOL already had three previous Grammy Awards under its belt: "Best Metal Performance" in 1997 and 2001 for "Ænima" and "Schism", respectively, and "Best Recording Package" in 2006 for "10,000 Days".

TOOL formed in 1990 and has released five studio albums thus far: "Undertow" (1993), "Ænima" (1996), "Lateralus" (2001), "10,000 Days" (2006) and "Fear Inoculum"; two EPs: "72826" (1991) and "Opiate" (1992); and the limited-edition boxset, "Salival" (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance (1998, "Ænima"), "Best Metal Performance" (2002, "Schism"), "Best Recording Package" (2007, "10,000 Days") and "Best Metal Performance" (2020, "7empest").

Continuing the musical journey introduced on their fall 2021 album "See What's On The Inside", acclaimed British rockers ASKING ALEXANDRIA have released a new EP titled "Never Gonna Learn" via Better Noise Music. In addition to the title track, the project includes a new collaboration with Maria Brink from IN THIS MOMENT.

Serving as the second and current single off their latest album, "Never Gonna Learn" and its video, in which the band performs the song in an intimate setting interspersed with polaroid images of the session, received attention a number of outlets upon its release, with many of them praising the song's immediate catchiness and declaring it a destined-to-be fan favorite.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA closed out 2021 by celebrating its first-ever No. 1 at U.S. active rock radio with hit single "Alone Again", taken from the band's seventh full-length studio album "See What's On The Inside". The song had the biggest first streaming day and week in the group's history and was a fitting first offering from its latest album. "See What's On The Inside" made a top 10 Spotify debut in both the U.S. and the U.K. upon release.

As ASKING ALEXANDRIA is excited to continue connecting with fans on the road in 2022, they're also eager to share more music, with guitarist Ben Bruce stating: "2021 was another strange year for everyone, so we wanted to do something special for our fans and kick the new year off with a bang! We are super excited to release the 'Never Gonna Learn' EP. Instead of just releasing our new single, we wanted to give you all something a little extra so we have included two brand new songs on this single EP, one of which we hold near and dear to our hearts, and another that we collaborated with our good friend Maria Brink of IN THIS MOMENT. To top it all off, we will be going out on our first U.S. headline run since 2018! We cannot wait to see you all soon and we hope you love these new songs as much as we do!"

Brink also commented on her collaboration with the band, saying: "We've known ASKING ALEXANDRIA for years and it's nice to finally collaborate together. They are incredibly talented and joining forces with them was a lot of fun. I can't wait for everyone to hear the song and I'm grateful to be a part of it."

"Never Gonna Learn" EP track listing:

01. Never Gonna Learn

02. New Devil (feat. Maria Brink)

03. Find Myself

04. Miles Away

Frontiers Music Srl will release King Of The Badlands, the debut album from Romania's Manic Sinners, on February 18. A melodic hard rock band formed by three of the country’s most accomplished musicians, Ovidiu Anton, Adrian "Baciu" Igrisan, and Toni Dijmarescu, Manic Sinners are a welcome addition to Frontiers' roster of talent.


The new single and lyric video, "Carousel", is out now. Watch the clip below, and pre-order/save King Of The Badlands here.


King Of The Badlands will showcase all the elements every memorable heavy rock album should have: soaring vocals, crushing riffs, ear candy hooks, blistering guitar solos, and a splendid power ballad. Produced by the band, they also brought in Alessandro Del Vecchio (Revolution Saints, Hardline, Jorn, etc.), the man with the magic melodic rock touch, to mix the album.




Vocal powerhouse Ovidiu Anton, indisputably one of the best new Romanian rock singers, gained major exposure in 2016 by winning the Eurovision Song Contest National Selection. He is also the lead singer and founder of the band Anton, and a successful solo artist.


Adrian “Baciu” Igrisan, who is in charge of drums, keyboards, and backing vocals, is best known for being the singer and guitarist of Cargo, Romania's most beloved rock band. With multiple gold records and countless sold-out concerts, Adrian has been knighted by the Romanian President for his cultural merits, and is one of Eastern Europe’s most iconic musicians.


Guitar slinger Toni Dijmarescu resides in the German region of Saarland. He is a busy and well-respected live and studio musician, with numerous productions and collaborations under his belt.


Manic Sinners have all the ingredients to quickly become one of the premiere melodic rock bands in the genre like labelmates One Desire, Perfect Plan, Chez Kane, Creye and other relative newcomers who have been quickly embraced by fans of the genre. Stay tuned.





Tracklistinig:


"Drifters Union"
"King Of The Badlands"
"Anastasia"
"Ball And Chain"
"Under The Gun"
"Out For Blood" (Instrumental)
"Carousel"
"Nobody Moves"
"Play To Lose"
"Crimson Queen" (Instrumental)
"A Million Miles"
"Down In Flames"


"Carousel" lyric video:





"Drifters Union" video:





"Down In Flames":





Lineup:


Ovidiu Anton - Lead vocals
Toni Dijmarescu - Electric & acoustic guitars, bass
Adrian “Baciu“ Igrisan - Drums, keyboards, backing vocals, bass (on "Play To Lose", "Nobody Moves", "A Million Miles"), and electric guitars (on "Nobody Moves", "A Million Miles")

California rockers PAPA ROACH are kicking off 2022 with a powerful message behind their anthemic new single, "Stand Up". Produced by Jason Evigan (Dua Lipa, G-Eazy, MAROON 5), the song brings massive energy and unique arrangements to singer Jacoby Shaddix's uplifting and motivating lyrics. The track seeks to provide a signature, bouncing anthem for a world that is energized to stand up against injustice, complacency, and opposition, further exercising their agency towards the obstacles in this new year.

"'Stand Up' is inspired by the social unrest of marginalized people throughout the world. It's about feeling of wanting to give up when you're backed against the wall. For the ones that have been oppressed for so long that a sense of hopelessness is all they have," shares Shaddix. "'Stand Up' is meant to inspire that whisper, that small voice inside that you are worth standing for. Step into empowerment and shake the world with your voice."

"Stand Up" joins previously released singles "Dying To Believe", "Kill The Noise" (which held the no. 1 position on the Mainstream Rock chart for over a month) and genre-bending banger of a single "Swerve" featuring Jason Aalon Butler (FEVER 333) and Sueco, all pulled from a 2020 writing session with the iconic rock band and a tight-knit creative team including familiar collaborators Colin Brittain and Nick Furlong. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger. The forthcoming album, expected to drop later this year, will be released via New Noize Records, in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm).

PAPA ROACH is also celebrating March 1's Anaheim, California show as the first sold-out gig on its North American "Kill The Noise" tour featuring very special guests HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and BAD WOLVES. The trek, produced by Live Nation, will make stops in the United States and Canada, marking the band's first headlining tour in three years.

PAPA ROACH's second greatest-hits collection, "Greatest Hits Vol. 2: The Better Noise Years", was released in March 2021 on Better Noise Music. "Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - The Better Noise Years" included 12 of the band's top 10 hits released between 2010 to 2019 as well as three previously unreleased remixes and two unreleased acoustic recordings recorded live at the YouTube Studios in New York City.

PAPA ROACH's latest album, "Who Do You Trust?", was released in January 2019. The disc was produced by Furlong and Cunningham except for the song "Top Of The World", which was helmed by Jason Evigan.

In December 2020, PAPA ROACH released a five-song EP, "20/20", featuring "new takes on old jams," including "Last Resort" and "Scars".

Photo credit: Darren Craig

Fan-filmed video of LAST IN LINE's performance on Sunday, January 16 at RokIsland Fest in Key West, Florida can be seen below.

Formed in 2012 by bassist Jimmy Bain, drummer Vinny Appice and guitarist Vivian Campbell — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — LAST IN LINE's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released in February 2016, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly died at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Phil Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album before beginning work on the follow-up release, 2019's "II".

Last June, Soussan spoke to Metal-Net.com about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for LAST IN LINE's third album. The LP is tentatively due later this year via an as-yet-undisclosed record label.

"I've been quite motivational with the band," Phil said. "I'm trying to keep things happening. We wanted to work on a few different aspects [during the pandemic]. And we also had to go about getting a new record deal — we were changing labels — so that's something we're in the process of doing, and we're getting pretty close now. But part of that was writing a third record. So we've been hard at work trying to write a third record and even record that third record while we've been in different locations around the world. And, obviously, this band works as a unit in every sense of the word, so it's a real handicap not being able to be in the same room as everybody and trying to make it happen."

In February 2021, Appice told Metal From The Inside that former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson, who produced both "II" and "Heavy Crown", is not involved with the upcoming LAST IN LINE album. "We made a change," he said. "Actually, the guy who mixed the last record, Chris Collier — he's great; he's working with KORN — he recorded this record. And we're kind of producing it ourselves, between all of us.

"Jeff is great — Jeff's a great producer, and [he has] great ideas and stuff, but we just felt that we could probably do what we wanna do now that we're a band, we've been on the road, and we know what we wanna hear," he explained. "But it's coming out great. The stuff sounds fantastic.

"And yeah, I've been through a lot with Jeff Pilson. I've known him for years. He's a great guy. He's like my brother."

Also in February, Soussan told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast about the musical direction of the new LAST IN LINE material: "The songs are another progression from the last album — the difference between 'Heavy Crown' and 'II', and now 'II' and whatever this next album is gonna be called; we don't know yet, by the way. But it's definitely evolved even more; it's gone into even more of an evolution, but we are always trying to keep the characteristics of LAST IN LINE there. I mean, you can't shake those things — you can't shake Vinny's drumming, you can't shake Vivian's playing. And I'd like to say the same thing about myself, and, of course, Andrew."

Some of the early recording sessions for LAST IN LINE's third album took place in January 2020 at Steakhouse studio in North Hollywood, California.

It’s been an eventful year, but having responded confidently to the huge challenges of a dramatically changing market, the Hanover-based imprint Steamhammer/SPV, one of Europe’s longest established and most successful rock and metal labels, has continued to offer its artists/bands exciting prospects even in tough economic times. That’s why SPV’s managing director Frank Uhle, head of Steamhammer Olly Hahn, Steamhammer head of promotion Björn von Oettingen and the whole SPV team can reflect on a successful 2021 and are now looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in 2022 and 2023.


Uhle, Hahn and von Oettingen are particularly proud that a number of acts who have been a part of the Steamhammer/SPV fold for years have once again extended their contracts, among them Magnum, Axel Rudi Pell, Running Wild, Sodom, Rage, Prong, Virgin Steele and Them. “In the more than twenty years I’ve been with Steamhammer/SPV, I’ve always been deeply impressed by the loyalty of our bands and the confidence they have in us. This makes me and our team very happy,” explains Olly Hahn. “My thanks go to the artists who continue to believe in us in these extremely fast-paced times. We’ll continue to give our all in the future and ensure the success of their releases with our usual Steamhammer professionalism.”


Hahn, Uhle and von Oettingen emphasize that the ‘Steamhammer’ brand will always be synonymous with respect, enthusiasm, mutual trust and business transparency, combined with the label’s consistently strong loyalty to their artists for almost forty years. It has always been part of Steamhammer/SPV’s unchanging company philosophy that all employees – in addition to their professionalism – are passionate music fans and maintain direct personal contact with their artists. Hahn: “Musicians and bands on our roster may rest assured that their concerns will always have top priority with people who are aware of their responsibility.” Head of promotion von Oettingen confirms: “I’m very pleased that these bands, for whom I’ve already promoted a number of albums, continue to place their trust in us. Our artists appreciate having a central contact who personally takes care of our worldwide promotion activities 24/7. This creates a close, personal bond with our musicians and shows that we really support the release and work flat out to make it a success.”




Steamhammer have already announced a number of groundbreaking new releases. The latest album The Monster Roars by British hard rockers Magnum has been available from the physical and digital stores since 14 January 2022. Magnum already has a long history with Steamhammer/SPV. “We think it's been about twenty years since we first signed to SPV and they have stuck with us through thick and thin. We would just like to thank Olly and Frank for their help and encouragement,” guitarist Tony Clarkin and singer Bob Catley comment on the trustful collaboration. The 2020 Magnum album ‘The Serpent Rings’ made number 5 of the German charts, while the band plans extensive tours in spring (with Gotthard, among others) and autumn 2022.


April 2022 will see the arrival of the new studio album by Axel Rudi Pell, who has been with Steamhammer/SPV since the beginning of his solo career 33 years ago and says of their remarkably long-standing partnership: “A different collaboration has always been out of the question for me. Why would I want to change when in SPV you get a passionate and committed team to support your music? A team that is also highly competent and has great expertise. If the people you deal with are nice on top of everything else, there’s really not much that can go wrong. Here’s to many more successful years!” To support the release of his new album, the Bochum guitarist/composer, whose 2021 covers record ‘Diamonds Unlocked II’ went to no. 7 of the German charts, will tour again in spring and autumn 2022.


Exciting activities in 2022 have also been reported from the Running Wild camp. The Hamburg metal pirates have been sailing under the Steamhammer/SPV flag for more than a decade. “After ten years of excellent and harmonious cooperation and the outstanding success of our current album Blood On Blood, the renewal of our contract was more or less a foregone conclusion,” explains Captain Rock’n’Rolf, who looks “forward to further excellent cooperation and a bright future together.” Blood On Blood (2021) made no. 8 of the German charts. Summer 2022 will see Running Wild perform at selected festivals (including Rockharz) and a new studio record has been scheduled for 2023.


Similar plans are in the offing for singer/bassist Tom Angelripper and his thrash metal cult band Sodom, who have been with Steamhammer/SPV for 38 (!) years, with only one brief interruption. “Even in the fortieth year of our band’s history, there are things that have stood the test of time, that still work and bear fruit,” Angelripper is pleased to point out, adding: “Apart from a small infidelity at the end of the 1990s, the legendary Steamhammer/SPV logo has featured on all our discs. And that’s how it’ll stay for now. We would like to thank you, also on behalf of our former comrades-in-arms, for this exceptionally creative and constructive collaboration and look forward to more projects in the future.” Sodom’s current studio album Genesis XII (2020) peaked at number 10 of the German charts. Sodom are looking forward to various festival appearances in summer 2022 and their headlining tour the following winter. A special 40th anniversary release has been announced for autumn 2022 and a new studio recording for 2023.


The release of a new EP for autumn 2022 has been announced by Rage mastermind Peavy Wagner. Rage were part of the Steamhammer/SPV roster between 2002 and 2005 and returned to the fold in 2019. Their 2021 album Resurrection Day went to number 14 of the German charts, clocking up the highest chart position of their career to date. Says Wagner: “After our highly successful collaboration of recent years, we’ll be delighted to take that cooperation to a new level in the future. The friendly, personal relationship between us and the SPV/Steamhammer team is stronger than ever, and I for one am in no doubt that we’ll be celebrating many more successful projects together. Full speed ahead!” Rage will be touring with Brainstorm in autumn/winter 2022.


Prong, the group surrounding singer/guitarist Tommy Victor, who have been part of the SPV/Steamhammer family for ten years now, have also promised a new album for autumn 2022. As Tommy says: “I’m happy to announce that Prong has resigned with Steamhammer /SPV records! This label has contributed greatly to Prong´s renaissance with their consistent support and hard work. It is an honor to still be part of their roster! I’m looking forward to new releases and keeping the Prong legacy going with Steamhammer Records!” The band are scheduled to tour the USA together with Overkill in spring 2022.


Autumn 2022 will see the release of a new album by Virgin Steele, who has been under contract with Steamhammer/SPV for some twelve years. Mastermind David DeFeis explains: “We are very pleased to announce that we have just re-signed to Steamhammer/SPV for two more brand new Virgin Steele studio albums. SPV has been our home, and we have thoroughly enjoyed our cooperation with all the Noble Souls at the label these past 12 years, therefore it was easy for us to make the decision to carry on and continue making our home here with them for a few more rounds of Barbaric-Romantic Metal albums…the first of which will appear later this year.  So I say cheers, salute and pour the wine in the cup of the future and raise your glass for today … by the Gods & Goddesses!”


Fear City, the new album by thrash/horror metal act Them, will follow in the footsteps of their 2020 offering Return To Hemmersmoor in October 2022. The German-American outfit has been with Steamhammer/SPV for five years and their guitarist Markus Ullrich looks forward to their continued cooperation: “We couldn’t be in better hands than with Steamhammer and are more than happy that Olly Hahn and his team will continue to look after ‘Fear City’. Following our fantastic collaboration to date, we can’t wait to start recording again in January.”


Steamhammer/SPV’s managing director Frank Uhle is proud of the great loyalty of the bands who have been under contract with the label for all these years, and promises to continue to leverage the label’s powerful position for new, exciting projects and promising releases: “What has been created under the Steamhammer umbrella over several decades is absolutely unique, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. We want to continue to grow together with our established artists and bands, optimize our potentials and synergies and consistently expand our national and international portfolio of artists and labels. I’m in no doubt that there’ll be some hot news from SPV in this respect as early as 2022!”


German rock legend Pink Cream 69 and young Finnish newcomers Satan’s Fall have also just signed with Steamhammer/SPV. New albums from both bands are in the pipeline for 2022 and 2023. The same applies to lots of other Steamhammer acts, among them Freedom Call, Vicious Rumors, Molly Hatchet, Outlaws, Lacrimas Profundere, Bullet, Evildead, The Unity, Mob Rules, Blackrain, Travelin Jack and Turbokill. The label’s staff, who are ready to meet the upcoming challenges in terms of both physical and digital releases, will have plenty to keep them busy in the coming months and look forward to many more exciting years.


(Pictured at top, from left to right: Frank Uhle - managing director SPV, Olly Hahn - head of Steamhammer, Björn von Oettingen - head of promotion Steamhammer)

Unlucky Morpheus’ live concert XIII held at Toyosu PIT on October 1, 2021 will be released March 9 on Blu-ray and a 2CD set. Preorder at diskunion.net.


All songs from 2020’s Unfinished and 2015’s Vampir have been performed. A concept live of beauty and violence. Participate in the angry march of Unlucky Morpheus!







Tracklisting:


CD1
“Unfinished”
“Unending Sorceress”
“Near The End”
“Cage Bird”
“Salome”
“Make Your Choice”
“Top Of The ‘M’”
“Dogura Magura”
Violin Solo
“Carry On Singing To The Sky”
“‘M’ Revolution”
Bass Solo
“Spartan Army”
“Wings”


CD2
“Wishing Ark”
“Vampir”
“Opfer”
“La Voix Du Sang”
“Phantom Blood”
“Angreifer”
“Change Of Generation”
“Knight Of Sword”
Drum Solo
“Black Pentagram”


“‘M’ Revolution”:

Italian folk power metal heroes ELVENKING have announced the re-releases of two early yet distinctive records, for the first time ever available on Vinyl, of the band’s impressive career! Both the 2001-debut Heathenreel and 2006’s classic The Winter Wake were remastered by Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Volbeat, Pretty Maids), and will be reissued as colored Vinyl Anniversary Editions on March 11, 2022 via powerhouse label AFM Records.

“We are relieved to finally be able to announce the Vinyl Anniversary Editions of two of our most important albums.“ ELVENKING comments. “The plan was to release them exactly 20 years (“Heathenreel”) and 15 years (“The Winter Wake”) after the original releases, so in 2021, but because of the prevalent situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the production process of vinyls underwent several disruptions, thus we were forced to postpone them. Finally we can announce the pre-orders!


“Heathenreel”(originally released in 2001) is definitely our most important album. The Album that started our journey in metal. The Album that defined our place in the world and our sound which we used to define “Folk Aggressive Metal”. The Album we made with the biggest passion and that is well cast in the memory of the metal fans of those years. A really important debut and our mission statement.


“The Winter Wake” (originally released in 2006) was a turning point in our career. Still our most successful album to date, this is an album born after a storming series of events that made Elvenking mature and diverge from a series of errors and ill-fated choices that were destroying the band instead of making it nurture and bloom.”

The Finnish death doom spearhead Kuolemanlaakso, starring vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow the Sun), have unleashed the second single from their upcoming album Kuusumu. The song, titled Tulessakävelijä, closes the album on an epic note and is the first one to feature both Kotamäki and Aleksi Munter (Swallow the Sun, Insomnium, Ghost Brigade) since 2015. 





Guitarist-songwriter Laakso says:




"Tulessakävelijä is the album’s massive closing track. Musically it explores heavy and oriental atmospheres. The chorus line 'Pilvistä verta sataa' ('Blood is falling from the clouds') refers to Chinese texts from the mid-530s which depict people actually believing it was raining blood. It seems more likely that a volcanic eruption, which blackened and cooled the sun for one and a half years, colored the rain blood-red with its ash."


"The orchestration, reminiscent of the soundtrack of Conan, was conjured by Aleksi Munter (Swallow the Sun, Insomnium, Ghost Brigade), with whom I produced and arranged Kuusumu’s keyboards. Kotamäki displays completely new aspects of his clean vocals on this track. This might actually be the first song since Swallow the Sun’s triple album Songs from the North (2015) where Munter and Kotamäki perform together."


“Tulessakävelijä’”s lyric video was created by Hans-Peter Weckman. "We immediately reached a consensus on the execution and color scheme. Great guy, great video.”





Kuusumu is Kuolemanlaakso’s first album in eight years and their most versatile work to date. In addition to the traditional Kuolemanlaakso heaviness, the album contains fast and bombastic material. The album was co-produced, mixed, mastered and engineered by the Triptykon and Dark Fortress guitarist V. Santura, with whom the band has worked with on all of their releases. The female vocals were performed by Lotta Ruutiainen from Luna Kills.


Kuusumu will be released in 2022 via Svart Records, with the CD version releasing on April 3 and vinyl following on July 29. The second digital single, Tulessakävelijä, will be released on Friday, January 21. Preorder at SvartRecords.com.


The first digital single, "Katkeruuden malja", is streaming below:





Lineup:


Kotamäki - vocals
Laakso - guitar, backing vocals
Kouta - guitar
Usva - bass
Tiera - drums


(Photo - Riku Jokinen)

The members of HALESTORM escaped unharmed after their tour bus caught early Thursday morning (January 20).

HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger revealed that he and his bandmates had slept in hotel rooms overnight but were awakened early in the morning to find their "bus burning down."

"Old HALESTORM had a night for the books," he wrote on Instagram. "We were all in our HOTEL rooms last night and we woke up to our bus burning down at 3AM.

"Fun fun.

"No one was hurt.

"The Worcester fire department got there and put the fire out. They were amazing.

"Our fearless security Steve pulled guitars and luggage out of the bay.

"We all lost some stuff, but it was just stuff.

"The investigator doesn't know what started it, but it began in the bunk hall.

What matters is that no one was hurt. The best part is that tonight, we will rock.

"Looking forward to playing some music and forgetting about things being on fire.

"See you tonight Worcester!"

HALESTORM drummer Arejay Hale added in a separate post: "Wanted to first and foremost let everyone know we are all safe, nobody was hurt, nothing of great value was destroyed but we had a bus fire last night while we were sleeping in the hotel.

"I woke up to my tour manager, Mike, calling me at 3am to make sure I wasn't sleeping on the bus, our head of security (pictured here) heroically ran into the burning bus with a fire extinguisher to make sure nobody was sleeping in their bunk. According to him, as he looked under the door, the bunk hall was an inferno and he saw 15-20 foot flames rising out of the top of the bus.

"We're all so grateful to the Worcester fire department @worcesterfd for their bravery, and incredibly thankful everyone is ok.

"To all my fellow touring people, take bus fire and all touring safety protocols seriously!! And of course thank all of you out there for your love and best wishes!!

"Come pandemic, snow storms and now BUS FIRES you can't stop us no matter what life will hurl at us! See you at the next show!!!"

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale tweeted: "Thank you to everyone for the well wishes. Like Joe said in his post, we lost some stuff, but so grateful that it was only stuff and no one was sleeping on the bus last night. I'm still shook, and emotions are a bit high today. But looks like the universe is not done with us yet!"

HALESTORM is currently on the road with EVANESCENCE as part of the two bands' rescheduled U.S. co-headlining tour dates, which will run through January 21 in Newark, New Jersey.

HALESTORM and EVANESCENCE first toured together in 2012. EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee later guested on the track "Break In" on HALESTORM's 2020 "Reimagined" EP and Lzzy lent backing vocals to the EVANESCENCE song "Use My Voice" and appeared in the accompanying music video.

HALESTORM is promoting its latest single, "Back From The Dead", which recently became the band's sixth No. 1 at rock radio.
























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A post shared by Joe Hottinger (@thejoestorm)






























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A post shared by Arejay Hale (@arejayhale)










Thank you to everyone for the well wishes. Like Joe said in his post,we lost some stuff, but so grateful that it was only stuff and no one was sleeping on the bus last night. I’m still shook, and emotions are a bit high today.But looks like the universe is not done with us yet!

— Lzzy Hale (@LZZYHALE) January 20, 2022

Iconic rock singer Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74.

The news of his passing was confirmed on the musician's Facebook page by his family.

"Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight surrounded by his wife Deborah, daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends," the post said.

Meat Loaf's amazing career spanned six decades and saw him sell over 100 million albums worldwide and star in over 65 movies, including "Fight Club", "Focus", "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Wayne's World".

His "Bat Out Of Hell" remains one of the 10 top-selling albums of all time.

"We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man," the post added.

"We thank you for your understanding of our need for privacy at this time.

"From his heart to your souls…don't ever stop rocking!"

No cause of death has yet been revealed.

The Dallas-born singer's real name was Marvin Lee Aday.

His 1993 hit "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" earned him a Grammy Award.

"Bat Out Of Hell" was also adapted as a stage musical, written by longtime collaborator Jim Steinman.

Metal Sludge was the first media outlet to report that Meat Loaf was "on his deathbed" on Thursday (January 20).


Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight surrounded by his wife Deborah,…

Posted by Meat Loaf on Thursday, January 20, 2022